A Mafia Prince and a Cop-turned-Mafia Pimp

On November 1st, if all works smoothly, mafia prince Michael Persico will be sentenced for several of his crimes. He will be the last of those that were taken down with my wire.

Michael Persico is a great take down for the FBI because he has long been the “clean” Persico who handled the cash for the rest of the Persico family.  He is the son of Carmine ”the Snake” Persico, the long imprisoned boss of the Colombo family.  Michael was never inducted into the crime family, but was a powerful associate because he could visit his father in prison to pass along messages and because his brother Alphonse was acting boss before he too went away for life.  

Michael passed along orders and actually gave orders himself.  He benefitted from all the perks of being in the family.  

It’s a shame that he was able to get a good deal and will only get up to five years for all his crimes.  Michael Persico even had his eighty year old mother write a plea to the judge in his favor.  He is believed to have been a part of a conspiracy to murder several men, one of them being Capo Joe Scopo.   Michael has long loaned out money and used the crime family to enforce his loans.  

He loaned cousin Teddy Jr. money, and after Teddy was sent away for 20 years he wanted the cash back.  Teddy is away now because of this same case.

Let's hope the judge takes into account the life Michael has lived and gives him an appropriate sentence.

Next up is Michael Rizzi, who I have written about before.  He is a real credit to society because he is an ex-NYPD officer who is collecting a tax-free disability pension for a back related injury that happened while on duty.  

I guess his back didn't hurt enough to stop him from running escort sites from Staten Island.  

He pleaded guilty on Wednesday to money laundering charges.  

Rizzi married into the Gambino crime family because his wife is the daughter of Gambino soldier Richard Giuliano Jr., and niece of capo Sonny Giuliano.  

He had to forfeit 120k in cash and a condo in Boca Raton Florida that he bought with the cash he made from the escorts.

He made  good deal because he will get at the most 51 months in Federal custody.  He will still have to face state charges for possession of a firearm, but that is a state charge and it will probably run concurrent to his Federal case.

Two men who profited by being around crime families and using the mystic that goes along with it.

Colombo Follies

The Colombo family never fails to deliver when it comes to material for the blog, and this week is no exception.

Carmine Persico, who received a 100 year sentence in the Commission case back in 1987, filed a motion to have his sentence set aside.

Persico claims that new FBI files prove that he was not boss of the family when Carmine Galante was murdered.  

The Galante murder was ordered by the Commission and it was carried out in Bushwick Brooklyn at Joe and Mary's Italian restaurant. The photograph of his corpse splayed out with a cigar in his mouth is iconic.  

Persico claims that if he was not boss in 1979 then he was not on the Commission and could not have ordered the murder.  

Judge Kevin Duffy does not agree.  He found that Persico’s new material was not case changing and the outcome at the trial would have been the same.   

The good news is that Persico will remain behind bars until he gets parole, or he is maxed out in 2050 when he will be 115 years old.

Speaking of oldtimers, how about the oldest federal prison inmate Sonny Franzese who filed papers last year for compassionate release consideration from his 96 month sentence.

Franzese was convicted of racketeering in a case that featured his son John testifying against him.  He was convicted of extortion of the Penthouse and Hustler stripclubs in Manahatten.

Franzese was also caught on tape speaking about murdering so many people he could not remember how many he committed.

So far he has been denied early release and he is now appealing the decision.

Franzese is scheduled to be released in june of 2017 when he will be 100 years old.  

Franzese has spent over 40 years of his life behind bars, a feat that Teddy Persico seems determined to match.

This week Louis Barbati the co-owner of L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn was shot multiple times in his backyard by a hoodie-wearing gunman. Barbati was returning from the pizzeria carrying a bag of bread and 10k in cash.  He went around to the rear entrance when he was confronted by a 30 year old white male wearing a hoodie.  The man fired five times, striking at least twice in the back.  He then took off and escaped in a white car leaving behind the cash and a dead man.

The police are saying it was a robbery, but usually with robbery the object is to take cash, not murder.

L&B Spumoni Garden was the center of a mafia sitdown a few years ago.  Frank Guerra aka BF is a long time Colombo associate who was married to one of the owners.  A former employee stole the sauce recipe from L&B when he worked at L&B.  He opened a pizzeria on Staten Island called The Square.

BF Confronted him with another Colombo soldier and later received 4k in a family sit down.

The Colombo family delivers again.

The Persico Life

I heard from a friend this week that Daniel “Danny” Persico passed away.  I've called Danny a few names over the years, but he was not a bad guy.  I remember the last time I saw Danny I was in Aero in Brooklyn. Danny was at the bar and he asked me if I wanted to go to the Blue Zoo.  I went, and that was the last time I would be on that street.  

Danny is the son of Colombo Capo Theodore Persico Sr., who is the brother of the boss Carmine “The Snake” Persico. Danny’s brothers were Carmine, Sean and Teddy Jr.

Danny was the one who helped set up the limo ride for his brother Teddy when he was released from Greenhaven after 17 years.  

Danny was also the person Teddy called on the phone when we were on the way to his mother's home to get his gear.  

Danny was indicted in a pump and dump stock case in 2000. He was involved with White Rock Partners and State Street Capital Markets, two firms which pumped up the value of penny stocks.  Investors lost 40 million dollars in the scams.

Danny used to work hard as a kid.  He always had a job.  He was good at sports and he loved them.  It was only after his brother Teddy went away that he started frequenting the bars.

A lot of people think life in the mafia is glamorous.  It is not.  Danny never really had a chance to make the most of his life.

Theodore Persico Sr., his father, went away for 22 years and was only recently released.  Danny’s brother Teddy just took a deal for 12 years in prison.  His brother Carmine has been in the system for years.  Allie Boy Persico is away for life for ordering the murder of Wild Bill Cutolo and other crimes.

Carmine “The Snake” Persico, at 82 years old, the only defendant left from the Commission Case, is still incarcerated.

He filed a motion for a sentence reduction based on some newly received information from the FBI.  Carmine has been away 31 years but he still is the boss of the family, so let's see how the FBI and the Judge react to his motion.

He kept control through the war in the 1990’s when Vic Orena and Wild Bill Cutolo tried to break away and take over the family.  Allie Boy took over and since he went away the family has been run by panels of capos and street bosses that ultimately answer to Carmine.

Carmine’s son Michael Persico, who for a long time portrayed himself as a legitimate businessman, is facing some time away.  Michael keeps trying to put off his sentencing and take back his plea.  He better be careful, this is ground his father covered and he ended up with a long sentence.

Carmine may live and get out. What is left?  The streets have changed.  Teddy Jr., who I liked, will get out - but will he change?

“What are you going to do, put me in jail? I don't own nothing. I got no wife, I got no kids. I can act like a fool. ” Teddy Persico Jr

RIP Danny Persico

The Richest Colombo?

When you first look at John Staluppi’s picture, you think of Robert De Niro eating everything he saw for one of his roles.  John Staluppi is not playing a role: he is what you see.  He is a super wealthy successful businessman who enjoys eating.

He has a museum in Florida called Cars of Dreams with over 100 classic cars.  It's only open 4 times a year for special charity events.  He owns car dealerships that sell over $2 billion a year in inventory.  He was a mechanic when he convinced his father to take a $5k loan out on the family home.  He was soon running a successful SunCo location.  

He then got in with Honda, who made motorcycles at the time but was not well known in the US. He soon grew that into 20 Honda car dealerships.  John knew how to bring in the cash.  

John Staluppi may have a dark secret in his past.  The FBI, the Suffolk County (N.Y.) District Attorney’s Office and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement claim he is a made member of the Colombo family.

During the 1980’s the police were able to get an undercover officer a job as his chauffeur.  The chaffeur saw him meet with Carmine Persico and other high level Colombos.

The NJ Division of Gambling Enforcement got ahold of his phone and appointment book.  They found numbers for Little Vic Orena, Theodore Persico Sr., and Pasquale Amato.

He was also invited to Capo Donnie Shacks daughter's wedding. She was a close friend of Teddy Persico Jr.  When I was around Teddy, he called Donnie’s daughter to pass things along to Donnie (who now lives in Los Angeles).

When the Colombo War broke out on the streets of Brooklyn in the early 1990’s John sided with Little Vic Orena.  He contributed $50k to the war effort, according to one Colombo turncoat.  He also provided Little Vic Orena another $50k for his defense when he was busted during the war. John then quickly switched sides back to the Persico faction.

Staluppi has a few other connections to the crime family.  In 2012 he bought “Club Diamonds” from a company managed by Thomas Farese, who has been described by the FBI as the consigliere of the Colombo crime family.  Thomas Farese was busted in 1998 for laundering money through his stripclubs.  

Rockland County Legislator Frank (Frankie Jr.) Sparaco is the son of Colombo family killer Frankie Blue eyes.  Frankie Blue eyes has now gone into witness protection and his son claims to have no contact with him.  Frankie Jr. did have contact with John Staluppi, who donated to his campaign.  John Staluppi was not the only one to donate to his campaign.  Michael Persico donated through Romantique Limousines.  Frankie Jr. also runs a vending machine company, Pops Vending, that has its machines placed in John Staluppi’s car dealerships.  

Frankie Jr. plead guilty to violating campaign laws and was sentenced to a jail term.

John Staluppi is now, among other things, a builder of super yachts that are known as the fastest in the world.  He is a huge property own in Florida and is said to be worth $400 million dollars.

He has not done bad for a guy who dropped out of the 10th grade in Bensonhurst, Brookly and was arrested for stealing cars and altering the VIN numbers in 1971.   He plead guilty to that crime and received 5 years probation, but bounced back and made his millions.

When you see smoke, there is usually fire. The truth will come out in the end.  

In a similar story, Dominic Longo was a made guy in the Los Angeles Family.  Longo Toyota is one of the largest Toyota dealerships in the country today but Dominic is no longer living.

Colombo Family: Inside Secrets Revealed

The “administration” or “panel” that rules the Colombo Family is ever changing depending on who is locked up and who gets taken down.  The one constant is the boss, Carmine “The Snake” Pesico, who now lives in Butner FCI in North Carolina with 737 other inmates including Bernie Madoff.  Carmine is now 81 years old and it is doubtful he will make his release date in 2050 but he keeps the family in check with a never ending supply of acting bosses.  Many of these are relatives both by blood and by marriage. I have already written about Tommy Geoli and Joe Waverly running the family on a day-to-day basis.  

Andrew Russo was the acting boss in 2011, and he was another Persico relative. Benjamin “The Claw” Castellazzo was the underboss during that time who dealt with a lot of the capos around Brooklyn. Richard Fusco was the Consigliere and with him were senior capos Joseph Carna, Dennis Delucia, Ren Maragni and Anthony Russo.

They were quick to beef up the ranks of the family and replace those that were lost to death or incarceration.  They held a secret initiation ceremony in January of 2009 where they made 5 new soldiers.  They were preparing to have another ceremony on December 7, 2010 at Emanuele Favuzza’s home.  Andrew Russo and Benji Castellazzo would run the ceremony and Anthony Russo was bringing the pistol and the knife to the location, but they found out the FBI was watching so they cancelled it. They had planned on making 4 more soldiers at this ceremony.

They never seem to miss a step when it comes to crime.  They were once again inside the Union LIUNA Local 6a and this time they were extorting the “Coffee Boy”.  The Coffee Boy is where any Union Member on any job site must buy their food and beverages from.  The Coffee Boy was required to kick back at least $250.00 a week.  This adds up quick considering how many job sites there are around the city.  They still held high positions in the Union and could hand out jobs to their relatives.  

The Colombo family is not above being in the drug business unlike what movies try to portray.

They contacted some well known mafia-connected drug traffickers in Canada and arranged for a 250 pound load of marijuana to be delivered in Massachusetts.  The FBI was waiting for them when they were picking up the load.

They were all heavily involved in the mafia staples of shylocking and gambling.  They continued to loan out and collect large sums of cash.  They had bookies all over New York and Florida that brought in more than 2k a day each.  

Ren Maragni was not only a senior capo he was Cooperating Individual (CI) for the FBI and he wore a wire.  He was able to capture 90 conversations during his time wearing the wire.

When Thomas Farese was upped to the Consigliere position, he recorded him speaking about his promotion.   He told the FBI about a January 20, 2011 induction ceremony that Benji Castellazzo presided over where they again inducted soldiers.

One of the guys he gave up to the FBI is my old pal Teddy Persico Jr. He let the FBI know about his position as capo in the family.  He also told the FBI about Teddy’s participation in the murder of Joe Scopo while he was on a prison furlough.  

He gave up a lot of information on the role of Michael Persico, the unmade son of Carmine who for years was the clean Persico.  Michael was able to see his father and bring back messages to the rest of the family because of his lack of record.  

He also brought to light the pizza sauce beef, one of the funniest Mafia stories.  Big Frank Guerra, or BF, has been very close to the Persicos since his motorcycle accident many years ago.  He married into the family who owns the L&B Pizza place, where they make world famous pizza.  A former worker had left L&B and opened his own place on Staten Island which he called the Square.  BF was livid and there was a series of Mafia sit downs over the stealing of the sauce recipe.  Ren Maragni wore his trusty wire and captured for all time this laughable episode inside the Colombo Family.  BF ended up getting 4k from the Square and a lot of time in prison.

Ren Maragni gave up his whole life in the Colombo family from his start when he was with Jerry Langella to his meeting Allie Boy Persico when they were young. Their cousins had a beef and Allie fixed it.  Years later while he was still an associate Allie Boy had him keep tabs on the South Florida Colombo crew.  He would meet Allie once a month and pass messages.

Ren also told the FBI about his own induction ceremony in the Bronx at a social club in the basement.  Benji Castellazzo as the underboss was in charge that night and he along with Richard Fusco recited the words while Ren had his hand on the pistol as the saint burned in his hand.

Ren double crossed the FBI when he was wearing a wire by using a secret cell phone to call people.  He also collected his shylock debts and diverted money from secret businesses he owned.  The FBI still went to bat for him when he was sentenced!

The FBI keeps taking the Colombos down, but the next day others replace them. This is why the Cosa Nostra is still alive, the structure assures that it will continue.  Other crime groups are usually ruled by one guy and when he goes down that is it.

The Persico Legacy

Teddy Persico Sr and the Colombo War.

Teddy Sr is the brother of imprisoned-for-life Boss Carmine "Gimpy" Persico.  They had another brother Big Allie Boy "Alphonse" Persico who died in the 1980's. After Carmine and his son Little Allie went away in the 1980's, Teddy Sr worked with a panel to run the family.  Little Vic Orena was made acting Boss of the Colombo Family.  Little Vic was good for the family.  He knew that in the future the Family would have to adapt and work on new things.  He inducted new blood into the family.  

One ceremony took place in a nondescript house in Queens. Three men were to be "Badged" that day.  Little Vic, his sons, Joe Scopo and others would preside over the induction.  The men had been told to be dressed nice and they were picked up around Brooklyn and driven to the location.  Joe Baudanza was badged that day with a young guy (future informant) and an old guy nobody ever saw again.  They were brought downstairs and they each took the oath.  I was told recently by the future informant that the “ceremony” was a big let down and afterwards he felt stupid because he had been so eager to be in the family.

Little Vic and Billy Cutolo Sr got along very well with the other families and when they went to Commission Meetings they always had John Gotti's patronage. Little Vic and Billy Sr could speak to the families, they were good with the rules and they knew the intricate Union business so the Colombo's would get their fair share from the other families.  

Teddy Sr had other ideas about who should be the acting boss of the family.  He began promoting Consigliere Vincent "Jimmy" Angilino for the top spot.  Little Vic discussed it with the other families and they wanted things to stay as they had been.  So Carmine Sessa took out Jimmy Angilino and took over his spot in the family. Teddy Sr started telling family members that Little Vic was trying to take over the family. Little Vic and Billy Sr again went to the Commission and they were told to poll the Capo's and see who they wanted as Boss.  Some of them came in when they were sent for, and others did not.  Carmine Sessa, being the backstabber that he was, went to the Persico faction and gave up Little Vic.  Carmine Sessa gathered a crew to blast Little Vic but Little Vic caught the move when he was coming home and he drove away.  The Little Vic faction then went back to the Commission and they were urged to settle it without bloodshed.  They suggested that they take out Capo Greg Scarpa because it had been ordered and he was long suspected of being an informant.  They could get rid of a problem and also see how the Persico's reacted to the hit.

They had a van and when they saw Greg Scarpa he was with his daughter and the baby but they decided to hit him anyway.  Frankie Notch was so eager to get Greg that he fired his pistol getting out of the van.  The noise scared Greg, who got away.  They had blown the Scarpa hit, so Little Vic, Billy Sr and Joe Scopo went to see John Gotti who backed them behind the scenes.

The Soldiers in Brooklyn went to ground hiding out  and business stopped.  The soldiers under Little Vic were given 200 dollars a week.  The war was really 13the Ave against 11the Ave but it would prove costly.  The street war resulted in 68 indictments, 58 convictions and ten guys flipping. What a waste.

This is where Teddy Persico Jr came from and soon Teddy Persico Sr will be a free man.  Where will the Colombo Family go from here?

Colombo War: A Father-Son Story

I write about the Mafia in its true form.  You can read it and see for yourself what is true, or you can choose to believe what some know-nothing Hollywood scribe churns out.  I love to read and laugh at books by a newspaper writer or a scholar, who has never lived the life.  They only know what they read or are told.  How many crews were they with?  I write about what I know and my information comes from who I know.  

The Colombo Family I know and the players I know.  Wild Bill Cutolo aka Billy Fingers or just plain Dad to Bill Cutolo Jr was a charismatic Colombo family Mobster who shot to the top by playing it right. Nobody knew him better than his son Bill Jr. Bill Cutolo Sr disappeared on May 26, 1999 in Bayridge Brooklyn.  

The main players on the dark side of his life story were Allie Boy Persico (the son of Carmine “Gimpy” Persico, aka The Snake), Jackie DeRoss, Tommy Geoli and Dino Saracino.   

Jackie DeRoss

Allie Boy Persico

In 1999, Bill Cutolo Sr was the underboss of the Colombo Family. The signs began showing in early May of that year when Jackie DeRoss was making rounds in Brooklyn asking guys what they had going with Bill Sr.  This was a move by the then Capo Jackie to try and get a grip on some of the rackets Bill Sr controlled.  Joe Campanella or Joe Campy (a made member of Bill Cutolo Sr’s crew) saw what Jackie was doing and spoke about it to Bill Jr.  Joe Campy was reluctant to share his thoughts with Bill Sr because Bill Sr had been best man at Jackie DeRoss’s wedding.  Joe didn’t want to stir trouble between two friends, so he went through Bill’s son instead of directly to Bill Sr.

Bill Jr also had a bad feeling when he heard the news from Joe Campy.  Bill Jr had been at his fathers place playing pool when he saw an old fashioned popcorn machine he had never seen before, and asked his father about it.  Bill Sr told him Allie Boy Persico the Colombo Family Boss had sent it over as a gesture of good will.  This did not sit well with Bill Jr who had never liked Allie Boy and felt that he could not be trusted because of his weak girl like handshake.

Earlier in the same decade (1191-1993) Vic Orena and Bill Cutolo Sr had led a civil war for control of the Colombo Family but had lost.  A lot of the men sided with them in this fight against the ruling Persico clan because many felt the Persicos had run the family into the ground.  The Persico's, led by the imprisoned-for-life Carmine Persico, had benefited from their murderous Scarpa Crew faction led by Greg Scarpa.  Joe Campy had been with a team of shooters that had failed to murder Greg Scarpa after the opening shots of the war.

Bill Cutolo Sr aka Wild Bill

The war lasted two years until the violence became so bad the FBI and NYPD stepped up prosecution on the family. By that point twelve people had been murdered and sixteen others had been wounded.  The other four Crime Families in the City asked the Commission to end the war because of the added heat from law enforcement it was drawing.  The Persico's had won overall, but at a huge cost.  The family was in shambles and no one was making any money because they were all spending their time fighting.  Contrary to popular Hollywood mythology, the soldiers in the war were not taken care of by the higher ups, and most families were given less than $200 a week and had to resort to survival on food stamps, as they had no life skills to get regular jobs.  The Persico's moved Bill Cutolo Sr to the number two position of Underboss as a “gesture of peace”.  In reality, they were following the old adage of keep your friends close and your enemies closer.  

Bill Cutolo Jr

On the day Bill Sr disappeared he had last spoken to his son that morning.  He planned to get a haircut and go to his union office.  When Bill Sr. walked into his union office, his personal secretary, Kitty, received a call from a man whose name she did not recognize, but Bill Sr. said to go ahead and put through to him.  A few minutes later Bill Sr walked out telling Kitty he had to attend a meeting, and gave her no other details.  Later the same afternoon, Bill Jr beeped his dad several times and got no response.  Bill Jr instantly realized something was not right, so he called his mother who had spoken to Bill Sr. earlier and he had told her he was on his way to a meeting.  Bill Jr knew his dad’s schedule of meetings, and was aware of a big Colombo family administration meeting the following day, but knew there were no meetings scheduled that day.  He continued to beep his dad all afternoon and evening, and tried his mother again around midnight and found she had still not heard from his dad but was not too concerned.  

To be continued....

There is so much going on in the world of what left of the Mafia! The Feds continue to steam roll over the New York Families. They try to shut down the Chicago machine known as the Outfit.

These groups enjoyed almost 100 years of uninterrupted rule over the underworld. Today these third or fourth generation Wiseguys never even get a chance to breath! The Feds are all over them!

There are a few that could have left the life behind. I decided to give out some awards here on my blog. My first award will go to Theodore "Teddy Do Over" Perico Jr for all the hard work he has put into getting my "This is pretty much the last you have seen of me RICO Award!"

I have some great quotes from Teddy. “If it was up to me, I’d go get a gun and shoot them, or stab them, or beat them up when I seen ‘em,” You can’t fuck with them because you’ve got everything to lose and nothing to gain by getting physical. I can get physical all day long.” Those were Teddy's new words! Now I will give you a few of his best word that I personally recorded!

"I don't need you to clean it. Just give me the gun," "Look, I know how to shoot. Just give me the gun," "How do you keep a pistol with f- -ing dirty bullets in it in the first place?

Those were some of Teddy's greatest quote. I was with Eddie Garafolo at his truck lot on Butler in downtown Brooklyn one day. This was before he moved to his Staten Island truck yard.

Craig Marino, a Persico Cousin and some other Garafolo's were with us at the yard. Teddy called and asked Eddie to send stuff to him in Greenhaven. I was put on the phone because Teddy wanted some pictures of porn stars sent to him. That was the day that Teddy lost his freedom. Yes he never even really was free again. I put the FBI onto his ride home from prison. I gave them his coming home party. I made tapes on the first day he was home. Teddy moved out of his mothers into an apartment and I was there to tape him. I was wearing a wire the day he was freaking out on Carmine in front of his mothers home. Teddy was upset about Carmine bringing dirty pistols to us when we needed them. This was a comedy of errors on so many levels! The pistols were junk, they were rusty, dirty and without the proper ammo. Carmine had no gloves, so Teddy told him to wear his socks on his hands. Eddie Garafolo was right there with us! I would go to the Big R truck lot many times and I made many tapes on Eddie and Teddy while there.

My next award is for the Guys who had it all and then stepped in Poop! The WINNER is Michael Persico!  Michael is a guy who just could not help being pulled into the family.

Carmine The Gimp Persico did all the heavy work so he could have a prosperous family. Soon Michael will join his father and brother in prison.  The Feds will hit him with more cases soon, even while I write this the are working on an indictment.  Frankie Blue eyes gave it up!  This will take care of Michael and Teddy Persico Sr.  The killing of Allie Boi's ex-wife's boyfriend was another waste of family resources.  This should wake up what is left of the family!  They have had illegal leadership for years! Time to take back the Colombo Family and run it as a real crime family not as the Persico's personal fiefdom.  Micheal had it all  the Mafia name, highly successful business, homes and freedom

Enjoy the week!  Kenji OC

The Turning Point

Jan 28, 10:00 pm

(60 minutes)
Flipped: A Mobster Tells All
Kenny "Kenji" Gallo
TV-14 (V)

Loyalty, honor, ?family? meant nothing to Kenji ? he simply loved living life dangerously. So when the FBI caught up with him, Kenji offered to fly to New York, wear a wire and bring down some of the heaviest hitters of the Colombo Crime Family.


Watch the Discovery Channel, Thursday






The Turning Point.



I wanted to write about some of the things that make guys in the life want to make a change. I do not mean that all guys flip, I mean when they see the life for all that it has become and the walk away.
Last week I was a guy from the biggest cocaine family in history. The guy’s family made hundreds of millions of dollars on cocaine. He swam in Pablo Escobar’s pool when he was young. He has lost many family members to the cocaine wars. He told me that he changed when after getting into some trouble he was working on a crew laying tile. He was laying tile in the hallway of a building where he used to own a condo before the Government took it. That is when he knew it was all a waste.
While we were talking another guy came by to say hello. This guy was Mr. cocaine in the ghettos of California during the 80’s there was nobody bigger. He just now got out. All the time he did, for what?
Many people who read this may not understand that the life is a grind. It wears you down. I used to see guys walk away and I just thought they were not cut out for the life. I had no idea that they were just smart!
Another guy, a son of a Black Panther was telling us that his father was in and out of the can his whole life. The father went away so the son could have a better life. He got into the life right out of high school and he soon found himself in a closet with an AK-47. He was to wait in a house until a guy came home and then jack him. He waited for a day and nothing, the guy never came. The deal was called off and he left the house, which was it for him. He walked away from the life and never looked back.

I guess that most of these Mafia guys never learn or they never reach that point. Most are small town guys. They live and die in Brooklyn or Staten Island. They never realize that there is a world outside that is vast and great. Teddy (Do Over) Persico did 17 years on a drug beef. He came out and in the first 10 hours already was on his way back. Teddy had no idea at the time. The funny thing about Teddy is that he never learned a thing. Teddy Persico Sr, Carmine (Gimpy) Persico, Allie Boi and many more in his family were away for life. Teddy is still playing the role. Now into construction and hitting the clubs with a crew. He might as well enjoy it now; he will be in some Federal lock up soon.

I was around Louie Gelfuso a Capo in the LA Family. He was a hard luck guy. He was around Peter (Shakes) Milano and very loyal. When Pete became boss he badged Louie and then moved him up to Capo. The family was hurting so Pete brought in some new blood. The Fiato’s put all of them away. Louie and his son Michael both went away for a long time.
Louie came out to nothing, the family was a shell. I was there on the boat when Louie’s ashes were scattered at sea. I looked around and I knew it was over. The life just is not worth the heartache.


BIG DINO went to Team USA! Well some Colombo's will be going away.
Kenji OC